...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead

Trail of Dead, composed of Conrad Keely, Jason Reece, Autry Fulbright II, and Jamie Miller, got its first taste of success with Source Tags & Codes, which received Pitchfork's coveted 10/10 rating in 2002. For Tao of the Dead, the Austin, Tex. prog-rockers' seventh studio album, frontman Keely wanted to make an album that paid homage to his childhood influences. Tao, which was released in February and recorded in just ten days, is divided into two parts, each with a special tuning (the first in D, and the second in F.) The guitar laden not-quite-concept-album features eleven chapters that form one long song on Part I, and a sixteen-minute track broken into six movements on Part II--a tribute of sorts to albums like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Rush's Hemispheres. With Ringo Deathstarr, Follow That Bird. JOE WILLIAMS